Edge of Predilection
by Kagari
Summary: AU AnC fic which starts where Tooya and Aki escape the Mikage. But Aki doesn't stay behind, which triggers events different from the series, but still keeps the AnC-ness of it.


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Edge of Predilection; Chapter 1

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Notes: This is an AU Ayashi No Ceres fic, which is planned to be many chapters long. AU means Alternate Universe. In my case, it might follow the same story, but with different events. in this fic, it starts off where Tooya and Aki escape the Mikage, but Aki stays behind. In my AU version, the story is going to change a bit because Aki goes with Tooya. So I won't appreciate any flames of "Omg you're not following the story!" because I know that I'm not. This is a way that I can make up my own events and stuff. And anime viewers of Ayashi No Ceres who haven't read the manga, do it! ^_^ Because my story will include manga events, mainly with Shuro and Kei, who play a VERY small part in the anime. And another note, I might use songs/happenings/something of the like from other series I've seen and enjoyed. And you never know, for extra events to happen I might even add in characters from other anime, but not as a crossover. Don't forget to read my ending notes after you're done reading to suggest things to happen in future events! :D

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Thanks: Thanks to my new computer and this WordPad document, and my own brain for getting chapter one up. No one else gave me any ideas or anything to put in chapter 1, but hey, that could change if people actually read this. XD But as for the motivation to actually start a story, a thanks goes to my friend Yuhi from my Ayashi No Ceres board, located at 

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Escape from the Mikage

"I knew that someday we would meet like this" Said the young Chinese man, standing defensively in front of a large oaken door. Strange enough, this very door was Tooya's target, he didn't fight through all of those Mikage lackeys for the hell of it, and it wasn't like he had all the time in world to waste. The soft, worried voice of Aya rang through his head, _"All right, we'll meet at the bridge where the three of us first crossed paths at midnight."_

Over the memories to be returned to him by the Mikage, he chose to be with Aya, though he didn't pick the best way to tell Kagami this. Thinking back on the small event, he must have had some balls to not only be able to tell Kagami off, but to fight his way through man after man to Aki's room. How did I manage to get past them all anyway? He was a pretty fast runner, that was for sure, and with the strange sword that came from his wrist at his will, he was able to do quite a bit, no normal person would have gotten as far as out of the room with Alec's machine. But one thing was certain.

It was worth it, regardless of how Tooya did it.

"Wei." Tooya called back to him, readying his sword in front of him. Tooya never got into any talkative relationship with Wei before, he only knew his name, and that he was a damned good fighter.

"I always knew you would wind up betraying us. But, as Aki's bodyguard, I can't allow you to go any further."

"That's funny, I thought _I_ was his bodyguard."

"I wasn't the only one who never trusted you, Chief Kagami is smarter than you think."

Tooya's eyes narrowed, it seemed that he would have to fight through Wei after all. He needed to get to Aki, he promised Aya that he would get him away from the Mikage, too. But that last thought hardly got to cross his mind before Wei lunged forward, and Tooya felt the cold metal of a whip strike him across his face before he stumbled backwards, back slapping against the wall.

All Aki had heard for the past hour was silence, the ticks of the clock were the only thing drowning it, each second longer than the last. So he was quite surprised when he heard the light buzz of voices, and then what seemed to be sounds of a struggle. Aki immediately stood and rushed to the door.

"Tooya?!"

"Aki, stay back!" answered Tooya's voice, and Aki obeyed, taking a step back, but he was anxious. All he heard were crashes and booms, and he didn't know who they were coming from, was Tooya all right? Would Wei defeat him after he had gotten his far?

Aki jumped back another step when he heard something crash against his door, and then there was silence. Five, ten seconds passed, and then relief filled him when he heard Tooya's voice. "Aki, let's go." And when Aki opened the door, there lay Wei, slumped up against the wall, he wanted to ask Tooya so many questions. How did he get past the men? Did Kagami try to stop him? Even though Aki could guess that last one by the looks of Tooya, tired and bloody, but before Aki spoke, Tooya simply turned and headed forward, and Aki followed without a word.

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Does Tooya really think I'd go down so easily? Wei carefully raised his head, seeing Tooya, back faced to him, walking away. With a small grin, Wei reached out to his right, grabbing the red whip once again and standing, careful to be as quiet as anything, he didn't have this job for nothing, after all. And in one swift movement, he bought the whip up, and down again, hitting Tooya hard on the shoulder and then once again, hitting him in the back, sending Tooya to his knees.

"Tooya!" Aki called out, as Wei, with a triumphant look, set his foot down over Tooya's small sword. "Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily?" He asked, readying his whip, in case Tooya dared try and attack again, but how could he with no weapon?

"Now, Master Aki, please go back into your room, quickly." He said, sending a glance toward the boy, who sent back a glare. Wei could tell Aki was obviously showing his anger, but he could also tell that Aki knew he could do nothing.

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Aya, I promised that I would save Aki, and that we would both come back to you. Tooya kept his head bowed to the floor, eyes focusing on his sword._ I'm not going to lose now that I got this far. _Whenever Tooya wanted protection, his sword came to him. Once he had dropped it, and using his mind, the sword disappeared out of thin air and reappeared back in is hand, it was like they were one. But would he be able to do it again?

Aki still didn't move from his spot, Wei keeping his attention focused on Aki, but still watching out for any possible sudden moves by Tooya, who still stay on his knees, seemingly defeated, but Wei wasn't a sucker to be tricked like that so easily.

But he was one for not having quicker reflexes

In one quick moment, it happened like a flash, unknown to Wei, the sword that he had held down with a booted foot was now gone, reappearing in Tooya's hand, and he quickly jumped up, taking the sword with him. Before Wei could react, it had came straight up the left side of his face, giving him no time to pull back, and a spurt of blood covered his eyesight, a roaring pain on his eye.

And now it was he who fell to his knees, one hand instinctively coming up and holding his injured eye, blood making quick way through his fingers, splashing onto the floor, quickly forming a large red pool beneath him. Tooya'd be damned if Wei was able to keep fighting now, so he turned around once more and continued onward, Aki following close behind.

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"Damnit, turn off the lasers." Ordered Kagami, keeping his eye on the maintenance camera, cursing himself for allowing Tooya to not only get away from him, but getting past Wei as well. He couldn't risk hurting Aki with the lasers, and he didn't want his men to shoot at Tooya for the same reason, but if he called them back, Aki would escape anyway.

"Alec," He started, turning to the blonde man watching another camera, "order all other men to come back, leave the professionals to shoot at Tooya. We can't risk Aki getting hurt."

"Yes, Chief." Alec answered, hurrying off to take out the order. Kagami just sighed and stared back into the camera, seeing Tooya and Aki round another corner, and running out of the camera's view. "I'm not going to let you get away just like that, Tooya."

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Aki struggled trying to keep up with Tooya, how could he run so fast? Aki thought it was strange that Tooya seemed to be running at a speed that no ordinary person could, but Tooya was hurt as well, and ran as if it didn't even bother him. Suddenly, Tooya stopped at a corner, and Aki almost ran right into him, but that was Tooya's intention. They had ran into a group of men who immediately shot at the sight of Tooya, and he was making sure that Aki didn't get hit. Tooya turned and shoved Aki again, and they both rushed down the hall, twisting and turning around corners, occasionally running into more men and having to backtrack a bit.

The final hall was one long stretch, and there were men right behind them, shooting like maniacs, both Tooya and Aki ran for the exit, when a grate started to lower over it. "Shit!" Tooya cursed out loud, giving Aki one hell of a push, sending him flying under the grate, and quickly following suit. And with one slight boom, the grate closed completely over.

Tooya stood. "Aki, let's get going." He said to the boy, who was still on the floor. Tooya started to walk ahead, and Aki looked up to him, though there was some sort of haze over his eyes. All over the floor were shards of glass, and Aki grabbed one, pushing himself up a bit, as Tooya walked right past him.

"Aki, y-"

But Tooya's usual emotionless eyes were widened with a look of shock, as Aki stabbed the small shard into his leg. And when Tooya looked at his face, those calm lavender eyes were glazed over, and twisted with some kind of hatred. Tooya cringed slightly as he dug the shard in deeper, deeper-

"Aki.."

As if somebody was snapping him out of some strange trance, Aki blinked, eyes returning to their normal state, and filling with confusion. Hands immediately let go of the piece of glass, and he stood, staring at them and taking a few steps back, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done.

"Tooya, I - I can't go with you. I don't know what's wrong with me, but whenever I see you talk about Aya, whenever I hear that you love her, I just can't stand it. I know I'm wrong, and I know I shouldn't, but I envy you. I hate you!"

Aki still couldn't look Tooya in the face, so kept his head down, tears making way down his face. "So I - I can't go back with you. I might do something awful again."

"Aki, after all this way you-"

"But I want you to take care of Aya." Aki broke in, slowly bringing himself to look at Tooya through tear-blurred vision. "Please take my place and watch over her, since I can't."

The gap between them slowly started to close over by electrical doors, to split the two apart so only one could go on. Tooya stared back to Aki, the doors growing closer and closer together, only wide enough now so about two people could fit through.

"Good-bye.." Aki whispered, waiting for the doors to block his view of Tooya, who had come so far to try and save him. But something happened that Aki didn't expect, Tooya quickly reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanking him through just before the doors closed.

"Tooya, why did you do that!?" Aki asked angrily. "I said I can't go back with you, I'll end up doing something like.. like that, again." He said, looking down to the shard that was still embedded in Tooya's leg, Tooya reached down and pulled it out.

"I didn't go all the way to your room, and take the extra time to save you just so you can stay behind. I have a promise to keep to Aya."

"But Tooya, what if I-"

"You're not going to do anything. It was that machine that was driving you crazy, you even said so yourself earlier. You'll feel like your old self again in a day, just don't worry about it. We should hurry, Aya's been waiting and we ran a little over our meeting time."

So Tooya started to walk off, Aki hesitated a bit, looking back up to the Mikage building. Was it the machine that was making him have these thoughts? Was being trapped like an animal in that building the cause of his changing?

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You're mine..

Aki paused for a moment, then simply shook his head and followed after Tooya. _Maybe he's right, maybe I will be back to normal in a few days._

"Tooya?" Aki called, as he saw the man stumble against a wall. "Tooya, you're hurt Come on," he offered allowing Tooya to lean on his for support, "like you said, we don't want to keep Aya waiting, do we?" he asked with a smile, maybe he was already getting better.

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"Maybe... maybe something happened, Aya. After all, it was just Tooya fighting through a whole building of Kagami's men. Maybe he got captured, maybe he -"

"I told you, Yuuhi, I'm not leaving. You can go back home with Chidori and Kyuu-san if you want, but I'm staying here."

"But Aya, what if he -"

"I told you! You don't understand Yuuhi! having to wait for somebody you love, not sure if they've made it out alive or not. Not only that, but if Tooya and Aki do come, I have to be here, you don't know how it feels having to wait desperately like this for somebody!"

Without a retaliating word, Yuuhi gave Aya a hurt look, and turned and walks down off the bridge. "I'm waiting here for you, aren't I?" He whispered to himself, walking over to Chidori and Kyuu, who were both sitting on the bottom step.

"No sign of Tooya yet, huh?" Chidori asked, and Yuuhi shook his head in response.

"He'll come." Kyuu said. "After all, his love is waiting for him!" She said, striking a pose, pointing dramatically down the street. Yuuhi sweatdropped, "He's not coming for you, you idiot." He said, turning back to Chidori.

"Do you think he'll come..?" She asked with a bit of worry in her voice.

"I don't know, he was supposed to be here two hours ago. But Aya's not giving up hope."

Yuuhi looked up one last time at Aya, who had clasped her hands together and had her head bowed. "...Aya." Yuuhi shook his head, and followed Chidori and Kyuu back to the car. Kyuu sat at the wheel, and Chidori stretched out in the back seat, but Yuuhi stayed outside, leaning against the side of the car.

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Tooya, Aki. Please come soon, you two have to have made it out okay. Aya shut her eyes tighter, clasping her hands together so hard that her nails scraped the back of each hand._ I know he'll come back to me... please Tooya, don't be.._

"...Don't be dead Tooya." She whispered to herself, before slowly opening her eyes again, gazing as far as she could down the street. Blood. There was blood on the street, small droplets of crimson, getting closer and closer. And when Aya looked straight below her, she couldn't believe her what she saw.

Staring back up at her were two pairs of eyes. "Aki. Tooya." She wasn't imagining things, either. They made it out alive, but staring at them in shock for a few moments, she realized that the blood trail she saw was coming from Tooya. "Aki. Tooya!!" She cried out, rushing down the steps off the bridge, and running toward the two, she didn't care if Tooya was injured, she needed to hold him, hold both of them to make sure they were really there.

Yuuhi blinked upon seeing Aya clamber down the steps, and following the direction she was running with his gaze... "They're... here." And with a nod to Kyuu [since Chidori had fallen asleep in the back] the two of them hurried over as well, as Aya threw her arms around the both of them, tears in her eyes.

"Aki, Tooya, you're here! You're both here, I was so worried that you wouldn't make it!!"

"Aya..." Aki started, but the reunited twins were both startled when Tooya simply grunted, and fell to his knees. "Tooya! You're injured." Aya said, kneeling down next to him. "Tooya, are you gonna be all right?"

"Mhmm."

"Come on, hang onto me, all right?" She said, helping him to his feet. "I'll take you to the car." And Aya hobbled off with Tooya, Aki just watched the two without a word. That is, until Yuuhi and Kyuu approached him.

"Glad to be away from there, huh?" Yuuhi asked with a smile, and Aki nodded in reply.

"But how are we going to fit the six of us in the car?" Kyuu asked Yuuhi, as the three walked to the car.

"Hah... I don't know."

"Hmmm... I've got an idea!" Chidori called out, now awake, due to Aya nudging her when she saw her sleeping in the back seat.

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"Why me?" Yuuhi groaned, squashed in the corner of the back seat of the car, Chidori with her arms around him, sitting on his lap.

"Because, Yuuhi-kun, Tooya needs to sleep in the front seat because he's hurt, I don't know Aki, and I'm not gonna bother Aya like that~"

"But you'd bother me." He said, it wasn't a question.

"Well, I did say I would be your girlfriend, Yuuhi." She chimed, nuzzling against him, Yuuhi simply sighed in response. Aya, who in the middle of the two and Aki, laughed, before turning to her brother.

"Aki, what happened at the Mikage building? What did they do to you and Tooya?"

"Nothing." He answered, shaking his head. "They didn't do anything, don't worry about it." He didn't want to explain to Aya about the machine, and the countless hours he sat, motionless in complete darkness. "But when he tried to get out, Tooya took quite a beating, since it was just him against all of Kagami's men. He's actually very lucky to have gotten out as easy as he did."

Tooya had came all that way to save him. Aki sighed, why couldn't he have fought himself? The entire time when he was with Mikage he followed what they wanted him to do, he never tried to escape again after that first time. He never disobeyed, though he was doing it so he could help Ceres leave Aya's body. But even with that, why didn't he try to fight and have to rely on Tooya in the end?

"I'm so happy you two are here with me. I can go on being less worried now, everyday I thought about you two, I kept thinking, "is Aki okay? What kind of things are they doing to him?". But I'm so very happy now that I know you were all right all this time."

"Mmm, sorry that I worried you." He mumbled, staring out the car window, and silently watching the lights go flashing by.

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Boy, did Kagami have a headache. He sit in the quiet of his office, rocking back and forth slowly in his chair, fingers trumming against his desk. The light was dimmed, and he could hardly see the other side of the room, but, but it didn't matter. Aki was gone, their key to the Hagoromo and to the mystery of the Tennyo. Since the two left the building, Kagami was in a rage, scolding his workers not only for failing to stop Tooya to getting to Aki in the first place, but the disobedient ones that were called back when Aki was with him. Kagami wanted the professionals to shoot at him, and a few brainless idiots paid no mind to his order, thinking that if they shot Tooya down they would be rewarded somehow. So they shot at him when he had Aki with him, he could have been shot, killed even!

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What are we going to do now, now that our main key to everything is gone?

Kagami was in a stump, he never expected any of this to happen. Of course he'd been onto Tooya way before he betrayed them, but he hadn't anticipated on him getting through everyone. Kagami simply sighed, and kept rocking back and forth, until the sound of a creaking door broke the silence, and a bit of light flooded the room. Enough that Kagami could make out who it was.

"Wei..?"

He seemed to have stumbled into the room, one arm up against the doorframe to balance himself, his other hand covering his face. Kagami could see behind him, and there was a trail of blood on the floor, and a forming pool of it underneath him.

"Kagami..." His voice, ragged and low, cut through the silence, and Kagami's eye adjusting to the light, could see that the hand that covered his face was completely covered in blood as well.

And slowly, Wei looked up, hand moving away from his face, Kagami couldn't believe what he saw. Wei's left eye twisted shut, even if it were open it wouldn't be noticeable at all through the blood running down the side of his face and neck, under his clothes, and the deep cut that went vertical over his eye. But Kagami could still read his face, and there was a look of complete rage filling him, as he spoke one more time.

"Tooya, where is he? I'm going to kill the bastard..."

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:D Well I know that was kinna boring, because it was just a typed scene of what happened, just with the minor changes, but from here on, it's not gonna be the same. n.n I added the Wei thing in there at the end to kind of foreshadow that it's gonna change, and plus I plan on making Wei a bigger character. And of COURSE I had to add the very bloody Wei, we never saw exactly how he reacted after Tooya cut his eye. ^_^ And and neeee~ I accept fanart for scenes and whatnot. X3; :: hint hint for bloody Wei! :: And art, and future art can be sent to **kagariasuha@aol.com**, I'd be so honored if people actually took a liking to this story. XB;

I want comments, and any ideas with what you want in the future, I guess this time, I'm taking any ideas. Even for small scenes that would be cute. But depending sort of on what you say, should my story stick to the canon romance of Aya and Tooya? Should there be more, any slash? Since this was originally a role-playing SL, I had planned on Wei and Tooya to have something, but in this version it doesn't *have* to be. I just want this story, since it's AU, to be different from the normal series, but I'm not sure if it should apply to couplings. Tell me what you wanna see, and depending on majority, or what would be easier/fun to write on my part, we'll see what happens. :3

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Chapter 2; will feature bloody Wei in the shower, Aki fighting the voices in his head, Wei going insane wanting to kill Tooya, and a brewing plan to break into Mikage Int.

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